Digital technologies represented by 5G, cloud computing, big data, and the Internet of Things are being fully integrated into the economy, people's livelihood and other key areas, accelerating the digital transformation of the whole society. In the digital era, massive data is the key feature, and the diversification of business makes the form of data more and more diverse, so the requirements for database become higher and higher.

　　In the face of the development trend of digital transformation of the whole society, AsiaInfo released AntDB 7.0, a "telecom-grade" universal database product for the whole industry, relying on more than ten years of experience and accumulation of database products in the communication industry. Zhang Hua,the general manager of database product center, was interviewed by C114 and other media to explain AntDB 7.0's innovative path of nationalization.

　　More than a decade of sharpening, database products in its prime

　　According to the introduction, AsiaInfo’s AntDB,safe and efficient, provides 24/7 of real-time online services for more than 1 billion users in 24 provinces across the country, and has been running continuously and stably in the core systems of communication operators for many years. The release of version 7.0 will support the commercial implementation of AntDB in various fields such as finance, transportation, energy, and public services, and continue to empower hundreds of industries.

　　Looking back at the beginning of AsiaInfo's database products, Zhang Hua introduced that due to China's huge population scale and the communication industry's demand for information and digitization, the mainstream database products, at that time, were not well suited for such a large volume of data management, and could not meet the throughput and responsiveness of data processing especially when dealing with core scenarios such as billing and signaling analysis.

　　Therefore, as early as 2004, AsiaInfo embarked on the road of independent database innovation, and in the face of the demand for data processing , it developed a memory database product, which was applied to billing and accounting scenarios. Compared with a mainstream database product, the throughput rate and response time of the entire transaction processing were improved by an order of magnitude. "This is the first step of our relationship with database."

　　With the continuous iteration of mobile communication technology and the deepening of digital transformation, we have ushered in an era of exponential rise in data volume, order of magnitude jump in user number and a massive explosion of application scenarios.

　　Zhang Hua said, in order to ensure "keeping up with the times", AsiaInfo has completed a "three-stage jump" in database products. It has evolved from an in-memory database to a full-functioned, general-purpose relational database; to a full-stack database that is compatible with MySQL and PostgreSQL open source ecosystems and offers a high degree of compatibility; and further to a distributed, cloud-native database.

　　"Although AsiaInfo's database products have been honed for a long time, the real promotion to the public or to industries outside the communication industry has just begun.” Zhang Hua stressed that late debut does not mean less practice, and the release of AntDB 7.0 is the result of ten-year trials and tribulations and the first test of its edge.

　　Step by step, domestic database’s approach to overtaking others

　　"AsiaInfo has had internal discussions on the technical route of database products, whether to do the icing-on-the-cake database products, or located in supporting the core, key trading systems, to do a database product that can solve the problem and gives a shot in the arm when contained by other company?” Zhang Hua introduced, “the final conclusion is that we must do the database product that competes against a mainstream database product in the core application, and that can directly replace it in the core application scenarios.”

　　Why the determination to make such a general relational database? Zhang Hua said, “first of all, for AsiaInfo, it is just a rigid demand, a core business in the communication industry, which cannot be well solved by mainstream traditional databases. Secondly, in the process of business promotion, we found that the database product is universal and a top track that can face the world market, not only at the level of information innovation.”

　　Of course, information innovation also brings opportunities to AsiaInfo. Starting from 2019, AsiaInfo has made intensive investments, exploring and piloting complex scenarios such as CRM in addition to high-density transaction-based scenarios on the one hand; on the other hand, making database business a group-level strategy for AsiaInfo.

　　In Zhang Hua's opinion, the two most difficult parts of database products are stability and performance. To achieve these two goals, first of all, a strong technical team is needed, second, a good scenario to polish. "The polishing of scenarios is often overlooked.We must see from the perspective of the application that which one really has application value and which is critical to the application itself."

　　"Choice and innovation, again, are possible paths to overtake.” Zhang Hua believes that "the technology to be made must overcome the shortcomings and break through the limitations of existing products, and only when the future needs of digitization and information technology are met and the characteristics of future applications are realized, is it possible to really exceed,then, replace and lead."

　　It is reported that in order to promote the development of the database business, AsiaInfo has set up a database division and an independent subsidiary to recruit a wide range of professionals in the database field. "We want to keep the database business going and will also make it bigger."

　　Continuous to extend for the “Everest” of scenario

　　As mentioned earlier, AsiaInfo is deeply involved in the carrier industry, and AntDB is also the first to be applied in the telecom system. For example, AntDB helped China Mobile(Shanghai) to complete the transformation of China’s first independent and controllable core billing and accounting system database project. Zhang Hua introduced that the whole system has been proved reliable in terms of performance, stability and operability in the past year since it was launched.

　　It also means that AntDB has carrier-grade capability, which also means absolute reliability, creating conditions for opening up more industry application scenarios. "To make an inappropriate analogy, if a mountain climber  have climbed Everest and Chogori, it looks easier to climb the North Summit in Hangzhou."

　　For example, in the highway billing scenario, in the context of integrated toll collection, the original system architecture is bound to be unable to support the operation of the business. Zhang Hua pointed out that this scenario is actually similar to the national roaming of the communications industry. A provincial highway department drew on the practices of the communications industry for customer development then and worked with AsiaInfo. Eventually, the successful experience of the communications industry was  absolved and good results were achieved.

　　This actually provides a vivid case for AntDB to be applied to more industries. Zhang Hua said that this process needs to make database products more generalized, standardized and highly available. Firstly, it is necessary to find the Everest of application scenarios and find out the most difficult and critical scenarios; secondly, it is necessary to be able to stand at the leading position to see the change of technology and update it in time; thirdly, it is necessary to find representative customers and take actual cases as samples to promote.

　　"We hope to develop databases from the perspective of products rather than projects, and we also hope to look at scenarios outside the communication industry.” Zhang Hua stressed that at a time when domestic databases are flourishing, AntDB, relying on 14 years of industry accumulation and technological deposit, will continue to embrace changes, and make independent innovations to help localization replacement become simple and feasible, and provide higher-quality products and services for more industry customers.